Rise of the Runelords {Ngilop's version}

[ngilop]

Everyone is attending a festival in the town of Sandpoint.

Morning
The first day of autumn dawns in the town of Sandpoint, and although a chill is in the air from the winds sweeping off the Varisian Gulf, the day promises to be a pleasant one as summer at last fades. The trees along the Lost Coast have begun to put forth their brilliant displays of red, Blue and yellow leaves and in a few weeks the nearby hills and forests will be aflame with bright autumnal colors. The air is crisp and refreshing and a light mist begins to lift from the streets of town. Though the sun has just peaked over the horizon, many of Sandpoint's residents have been awake for a few hours now.

As the rays of the morning sun lazily creep over the wood-shingles of the rooftops, visitors begin to fill the streets leading into town. Many are farmers and their families from outlying homesteads. Others are travelers from nearby towns and villages while some have come from as far away as Magnimar. The streets quickly become crowded as the residents and visitors make their way toward the illuminated stained-glass windows of a large, stone building: the new Sandpoint Cathedral.

The square before the church fills with the travelers and locals. Several merchant tents have already been set up ready to sell their wares of food, clothing, crafts, and souvenirs. The air is filled with excitement, for today is the Swallowtail Festival. A most specia Swallowtail festival; for on this day, the high priest Father Zantus will ask the gods to renew their blessing upon this holy site and consecrate the new cathedral and celebrat the rutern of the children from the goblins by a brave band of unlikely heroes. For five years the faithful of Sandpoint have attended church in small wooden buildings since their church had been burned down, claiming the life of their beloved priest Ezakien Tobyn and his adopted daughter Nualia. Today, the townsfolk look brightly to the future, and with the new cathedral, it will be as if the Sandpoint Fire had never occurred.

A hush comes over the crowd as four people emerge from the cathedral to stand at the top of the steps: Mayor Kendra Deverin, Father Abstalar Zantus, Sheriff Hemlock and Cyrdak Drokkus.

Mayor Devrin waits for the cheers to subside, then addresses the crowd.

"People of Sandpoint, it is with great honor and jubilation that I, Mayor Kendra Deverin, welcome you to the Swallowtail festival and the consecration of our new cathedral. It is also with great honor that I welcome the visitors to Sandpoint, a most reverant welcome and grateful thank you to the ones who retuned our youth back to us. It was a shock to myself and indeed to others as well I presume when a Nagaji volunteered to help us, the bigger shock came when a goblin of the very tribe that perpetuated the heinous act renounced their tribal loyalties and sided with the forces of good. It was such a miracluous and unexpected event that even Larz Rovanky has managed to tear himself away from his tannery to attend."

Many people chuckle warmly at this last remark, except Larz. The mayor continues:

"Today marks a turning point in our town's history. The opening of the new cathedral will bring many new days of peace and longevity to our town. Through perseverance and patience, you have waited five years for the day when you would have a permanent place of worship. For five years you have waited for the day when the blessing of the goddess would be completed. Rejoice, people of Sandpoint! The day is come!"

Shouts, cheers, and whistles erupt from the people. The clapping of hands and stamping of feet rumbles through the square as the mayor bows and descends the stairs. The applause continues as the Sheriff, Belor Hemlock, stoically moves to the center of the stairs as he waits for the cheers to subside.

The cheers continue, and the sheriff calls for attention with authority. When the gleeful throng quiets, Sheriff Hemlock solemnly addresses the crowd. "I must remind all, to be safe this evening around the bonfire. And now, a moment of silence for those who perished on this site five years ago." The sheriff lowers his head as a lull comes over the people and visitors of Sandpoint. After a moment, the sheriff leaves the steps and Cyrdak flamboyantly takes his place.

"Greetings, greetings! People of Sandpoint, and people not from Sandpoint. Greetings to all. I cannot tell you how absolutely excited I am to be standing upon the steps of this grand edifice!" Cydak turns and holds his arms out, gesturing to the cathedral. With a grin, and a flourish of his cape, he quickly turns back to the crowd. "For five years we have secured funding to give back what was lost. For five years, we have erected it stone by stone. It was no easy task, to be sure, but here it is! Look upon your new, marvelous cathedral, people of Sandpoint! Your hard work and faith has brought this magnificent structure to life and made dreams and hopes a reality!"
The crowd cheers thunderously, and Cydak holds out his arms, basking in the noisome din. After a moment, he holds up a hand for silence.

"And now, we have a festival. We have a new church. And to top it all off, tomorrow night we have a special production over at the Sandpoint Theater, The Harpy's Curse! And the lead role will be played by none other than the famous Magnimarian diva Allishanda!!!"

Another cheer, and Cydak takes a lavish bow and bids the townsfolk a happy festival.

Finally, Father Zantus steps foward. Smiling, the jubilant priest passes his kind eyes over the assembly. "Blessed of Desna! Thank you one and all for coming to this joyous and momentous occasion. May the grace of the goddess favor us this day. At noon we will release the Swallowtails here in the square, and give thanks to those who selflessly went into danger to rescue our children. At sunset, we will consecrate the new cathedral and ask for the blessing of Desna. Until then, eat and drink! Make merry in the streets! Let the Swallowtail Festival begin!" He throws up his arms as he declares this and the townsfolk roar with applause, many throwing their arms up into the air, mirroring Father Zentus's excitement and happiness.

The square slowly thins out as the people gravitate toward merchants and the various inns and taverns. Musicians bring out their instruments, and dancers and jugglers begin impromptu performances. Children run through the streets laughing and playing. Something that just a couple of days ago was completely absent from the town.

[Zhentarim]

Tearing himself from his spellbook a moment, the elf smiled. He looked around at the crowd for a but before continueing his reading. It has been a rough few weeks, for sure!

[Ceralune]

At last, the Swallowtail Festival has arrived - Silvisia's reason for coming to this place, and something that has taken on an even greater meaning for her. Never had she imagined that she would be celebrated in this land; if anything, she had feared the opposite due to her heritage. Thus, it is a relief to be greeted so warmly, and she lets out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. Mother and father had expressed disdain when she mentioned that she wished to travel to Varisia (no surprise, given that Varisians were regarded somewhat less well than other ethnicities in Korvosa), and she worried that she would be the one disrespected as the tables had turned and she now found herself in the minority, as a Chelaxian. Yet the people have been nothing but welcoming so far, and Silvisia lets that warm her heart and give her hope for the days to come.

As she walks up to the square in front of the new church, she gazes up at it with a mixture of emotions. To think, this was the place that would become a new cornerstone in this town's life. A testament to the tenacity of man, who refused to stay down in the face of destruction and instead had created something even greater. A beacon of light and, of equal importance to Silvisia, of knowledge. Part of her can't wait to dive right in and absorb everything she can about the church, but she reminds herself, Easy... you should enjoy the festival. There will be plenty of time for that later. After years of worrying in the back of her head that there would be some tragedy that she would fail to prevent, it feels incredible to have helped out in this situation. It's all too easy to get caught up in those feelings as the mayor begins to speak.

Silvisia stands with her new acquaintances, the ones whom she had joined with to rescue the children of Sandpoint. There's still an air of aloofness with them - they haven't known each other that long, and she never had time to really just talk to them with the task of finding the children keeping them all busy. But at the same time, there's a new sense of camaraderie that one would almost miss if they blinked. Yet there is no denying that it's there. I suppose you don't come out of an adventure like that without becoming at least a little closer to the people you're with, she thinks to herself, with a slight smile on her face.

As Mayor Deverin acknowledges the group of "heroes," (a descriptor that surprises and delights Silvisia at the same time), Silvisia beams brightly and looks at those around her. The mentions of Vanken and Stink-Eye are well-deserved recognition of their honor, and an interesting reminder to her that she's probably not the "strangest" minority here. She turns her attention to the mayor once again, though, as she announces the desecration of the church, and she happily joins in with the crowd as they clap and cheer. Likewise, she stands in respectful silence for those who perished five years ago, a tragedy that should never have occurred in what should have been a bright, peaceful place.

Much as the silence is necessary, though, so too is the exuberant man who replaces the sheriff at the top of the steps. He chases away the melancholy with his excitement, and soon Silvisia feels light again. As Father Zantus kicks off the festival, she looks eagerly to her new companions. "So, what you all going to do first?"

[CannonGerbil]

Randalin stood with her new companions, cheering and whistling together with the crowd, particularly when their rescue were mentioned. Her Longhammer was waved around with wild abandon during the process, coming dangerously close to smacking her companions in the face, though whether through her companions dexterity or her own skill at arms, or perhaps just plain dumb luck, the people around her remain unscathed as of yet.

As father zantus declared the festival open, she threw her arms into the air one last time, before joining her companions as started dispersing from the square.

"A drink! A drink! We gotta have a drink!" she exclaims in response to Silvasia's question. Clasping the scarred man on the shoulder, she beamed "Come on, Pyrom, we barely downed a couple of drinks last night, and theres got to be a bunch of taverns offering cheap drinks at a festival like this."

[Hamste]

Pyrom groaned as he stuck a pillow over his eyes to block out the dawn sun streaming in from the window. He had spent most of the last night drinking and his head ached terribly. He half wanted to sleep until well after noon but he knew he couldn't stay here all day, as there were things to do. He quickly got dressed and headed out to the speech. He winced slightly as he headed into the sun lit streets but he really didn't want to miss the the start of the festival.

Somehow he managed to reach the crowd before the speech started and joined the other children savers. He sipped a bit from his flask as he waited for the start of the speech to help ease his headache and to keep him sated until he had a chance to get some breakfast. He only half listened to most of the speech as he covered his eyes trying his best to get stop the throbbing in his head.

I agree with that, get a drink and something to eat as well. Didn't get a chance to eat before coming here. Then I guess I will mostly just explore to see what things are happening around the festival. I should also make sure I'm paid up for another night at the inn, don't want it to get all booked up. Pyrom says already feeling slightly better. The fresh air always did wonders for his hangovers though the sun did him no favors.

[Frosty]

Stink Eye is overwhelmed by all the people. He has never been around this many hu-mons (think how a Ferengi from Star Trek pronounces the word 'Human'). He is glad that they aren't trying to kill him, but he is still a bit uncomfortable. "Miss Silvisia. There be so many DOGS here. Evil, evil dogs! They hates me and wants ta EAT me! And big horsies that KICK! You protect Stink-Eye if they tries to tear Stink-Eye limb from limb?"

Still, at the mention of drinks, his ears perk up. His horribly mis-matched eyes scans the surroundings for delicious drinks and food. "Da drinks and da good eatin sounds good! Me ah-pree-she-ate finer food than other goblins, who eat trash."

[Ceralune]

The mention of drinks reminds Silvisia that she's never actually gone to a tavern - or at least not a real one (the Jade Circle, Korvosa's exotic teahouse that catered to the nobility, probably doesn't count). She's about to remark that she'd love to come along, when the voice of a certain goblin catches her attention.

At Stink Eye's concerns, she can't help but chuckle a bit at his concerns, and nods her head reassuringly. "We'll keep the dogs away from you, Stink Eye. And the horses." The goblin had taught her a lot already about what to expect (or rather, not to expect) from certain creatures and races, and she figures that she'll learn plenty more if their little hodge-podge group ends up staying together. It seems that there are lessons to be learned here that she never would have experienced from the clean, sterile hospital rooms of the Temple of Sarenrae.

"So, what looks good to you guys?" Silvisia asks, turning her eyes towards unfamiliar food and beverage options. Probably best to defer to their judgement here... I've got no clue what's good or bad.

[CannonGerbil]

"Oh don't worry about the dogs, little one. I'm sure the villagers won't let them mess with you after everything that has happened" Randalin laughs, giving the goblin a few pats on the head. It's quite refreshing to be the one towering over someone else for a change, even if that someone is green and sporting fangs.

"How about the white deer? It's pretty close, and I don't think we've been there before. We've mostly hung out around the rusty dragon, after all."

[Hella Lugosi]

Vanken listens to the mayor's speech intently, relishing the opportunity in her newfound glory. It is only during the moment of silence that she forces herself to snap back to reality. Seeking to join in with the festivities, she turns to the rest of the group. "Anywhere with decent booze and a good crowd sounds fine by me. I reckon they may have a few free drinks for their newest heroes, after all."

[ngilop]

As the band of unlikely companions begin to make their decision on where to go to get good drink. "Greenie!" is heard, most assuredlt a young child yelling at or maybe for Stink-Eye. As the group turns to see who it is, they are greete witha small boy, no more than 6 maybe 7 winters old rush up to the hug the goblin. It takes a second or to realize this was the same boy who was about to be sacrificed when Stink-Eye jumped on the cheiftans back yelling creating a distraction enough for the group to end the cheiftan's plans, whatever they were.

The sight of a small boy hugging a goblin not much bigger than him brings a chuckle and a sense of awe to you all as most of the crowd of festival goers nearby. You all hear a bak and the little boy proudly and joyfully exlaims "PETAL!" You see a small brown dog no more than perhaps 35 pounds with a wide white circle around the right eye come running barking loudly. Just as Randalin and Silvisia step to block the dog's path to Stink-Eye it leaps upon the absolutely terrified goblin but does something that generates a tear in even the most hardened of hearts, it starts to lick Stink-Eye's face in a sort of 'thank you' for rescuing his little boy. Of course, Stink-Eye nearly faints the only thing keeping hm conscious is the cold wet slobber of the dog. The dog and the boy both hop excitedly, then off down the road they go.

You all notice an attractive young buxom red-haired woman staring at Dante in the gathered crowd that has srpung up to see new dog-goblin relations. She realizes she has been caught and fades away quickly into the crowd.

[Hamste]

Well that certainly was a thing that happened. Anyways, I'm good with the White Deer Inn. Hopefully most people are saving to buy lunch or dinner out and not breakfast.
Pyrom says. Assuming the others agree he starts heading towards the inn. He keeps an eye out for an festival games of chance that he could play after the meal.

[Frosty]

Stink-Eye does hug the boy back, albeit awkwardly. And when the canine named Petal starts slobbering all over his face, Stink-Eye can barely contain the panic and the disgust! "Blech! Help! Ack!" Still, soon enough the ordeal is over and he looks to the others. "Yes, anyplace better than here, with all da DOGS! Foxes MUCH better! Less slobber!" He leans down to pet his faithful fox companion, Nub-Nub.

"Also, me wants ta find needle an' thread! Me almost finish wit' pointy hat, but ran out of thread!" On his head is what might be a child's imagination of a wizard's hat. Embroidered on the hat are the letters W-I-Z-Z-A-R. It looks like Stink-Eye just needs the last letter to show the world he is a...wizzard...with two "Z"s.

[CannonGerbil]

After taking a moment to chuckle along with everyone at the heartwarming sight, Randalin continued on her way to The White Deer. She raised an eyebrow at the goblin's proclamation. "I have a sewing kit back at the inn you can borrow if you want." she offers, her eyes lingering on the words emblazoned on the goblin's hat for a few moments, her senses telling her that something is wrong with the word but her brain failing to provide the answer to her misgivings. Eventually she simply shrugged and continued on her way. Surely the elf or the noble lady would be better suited to pointing out the mistakes in the goblin's diction. They are good with this whole reading and writing stuff.

As the party approaches the tavern, she caught a glimpse of the red haired lady before she disappears back into the crowd. "Oh, looks like our little tattooed friend here has gotten himself an admirer." She quips, a sly grin spreading across her face as she gives dante a slight nudge with her elbow. "Better watch yourself, otherwise you'll end up swimming in them come nightfall."

[grifter730]

Standing at rigid attention, Dante listened with his chin up as Mayor Kendra Deverin called out their group for their accomplishment. The rest of it went well enough, but Dante wasn't one for listening to speeches. As the whistling and clapping signaled the end of the speeches and the beginning of the celebration, Dante swiveled his head about, unsure what to do.

A suggestion for a drink sounded as good as any. The bond of companionship had been forged, but it was brittle yet. He was still a slightly uncomfortable with everyone, something he desperately needed to overcome. It wouldn't do to be so aloof with people that's bled with you. Still, his wary nature can't be helped.

So engrossed as he was in his own thoughts, Dante completely missed what Randalin was referring to. Something crass, no doubt. He smiled, trying his best to seem as if he knew what she was speaking about. She nudged him then, and mentioned something about swimming, completely confusing him.

"I beg your pardon, Miss Randalin. Seems my mind was elsewhere. Pray, tell me what I've missed?"

Sorry was away for a few days. Can post regularly now!

[CannonGerbil]

"Well, I hope whatever you are thinking of is worth missing out on the attentions of a beautiful lady. Though if you keep dressing like that, I'm sure you'll have plenty of opportunities to make up for it." Randalin replied, her sly expression unchanging as they step through the doors of the inn. Raising her voice, she turned towards the first person she sees who looks like they might be in charge of serving people in the place. "Hey, barkeep, what've you got that's good?"

[ngilop]

The barkeep, who looks very similar to the sheriff, smiles at Randalin "You are in luck, today the rabbit stew and the brown ale are free. To give our thanks to Desna and the return of the children, the peppercorn venison is on special for only 3 copper!" He seems to be in a especially good mood.

[grifter730]

Dante opened his mouth as if to speak, but no sound came forth. He tried once more, and paused once more. He hoped his face didn't betray his embarrassment. "I fear I am at a loss for words. Perhaps you might do me the favor of helping out a socially inept bore such as myself the next time a lady shows an interest." He offered Randalin a brief smile, and quickly averted his eyes as the barkeep called out the day's menu.

"I'll start with the stew, and have the venison as well," Dante puts down the 3 coppers, and turns back to Randalin. "So, we've not had much time to know each other aside from swinging blades, throwing fists, and slinging the arts. What was it you did before all this?"

[Hella Lugosi]

Vanken enters the White Deer alongside Randalin, looking for away to celebrate with as much revelry as possible. "Well, I'm not one to turn down a free meal. Give me the stew, and make it a double round of ale." She perches herself on a nearby barstool, the wood creaking under the weight of her armor. "And tell me, where would a girl looking for competition find a way to pass the time?"

[CannonGerbil]

Randalin's eyes slowly widens as realization dawns upon her. She mutters a "Wait, you haven't...man, how do you ascetic types even-er, I mean", under her breath, before realizing that she spoke out loud and quickly catching herself. Confidently, she declares "Don't worry. Just leave it in the hands of Big Sis Randalin." and attempts to put one arm around the larger man in a sort of comforting gesture, though the difference in their height means that she eventually has to settle for a pat on his back.

"Oh, sweet! I'll take the peppercorn stew, and a tankard of brown ale to go with it." She exclaims as the barkeep explains the day's menu. Tossing three copper pieces on the counter, she helps herself to a table by the windows, beckoning to her companions to join. This way they would have a view of the festivities while enjoying their meal. In response to Dante's question, she says "I'm kind of like a monster hunter. No creature in this land is too fearsome a foe for good old Randalin here." She boasts, deliberately fluttering her waist length patchwork cloak behind her. The entire cloak is clearly hand sewn, somewhat amateurishly in places, making it obvious that each piece of fabric came from a creature she personally killed. Most of the cloak is comprised of fire pelt, wolf, or giant gecko skin, but here and there are patches from more fearsome creatures, including one from what appears to be a cave bear.

"As long as you've got a good tankard of ale and a fine meal ready when I get back, I'll turn whatever beast that is threatening your stuff into a handsome cloak. Or a shirt. Or a mask. I'm not picky." She allows herself a short chuckle at her little joke. "Really, though, this wasn't much different from what I usually do, the beasts are just smaller. And make poorer cloaks."

[Hamste]

I will have the venison and ale. Anyways, before all this I spent most of my days gambling and doing magic shows. I used to do fortune telling as well but don't do that much anymore. I should do a magic trick for the people around here sometime. I mean you guys have seen the type of magic I do but most people haven't yet. Pyrom asks pulling out a harrow deck as well as the three copper pieces for his food. He shuffles the deck as he waits. He deals the cards out in random patterns while he waits for the food practicing in his mind the different false fortunes he would give with each pattern.

[Ceralune]

Peppercorn venison? Never heard of that before... maybe it's a region-specific dish? Interest piqued, Silvisia says, "I'll have the peppercorn venison, please!" while taking out the requested coin and placing it on the counter.

The stories that the others tell are so far removed from what Silvisia knows that she can't help but gape a bit. At Randalin's description of her profession, she marvels, "Wow, so I guess those goblins weren't a big deal for you at all." Her eyes catch sight of the nature of the cloak, and she wonders how she didn't notice before - it's clearly not made of a normal fabric. It's times like these that I notice the bubble mother and father put me in more than ever... imagine that there are people who go out and hunt monsters for a living, never knowing if their safety is a sure thing. Not that I haven't read stories like that - daring adventurers willing to risk their lives for the thrill of a hunt or the chance at treasure - but it's so different meeting someone like that in person.

The news that Pyrem is a fortune teller is no surprise, and Silvisia quickly chokes down any reprehension that her mind tries to come up with. Come on, now... I've got to stop reacting like this when the things mother and father always criticized come up. They're not here now! I need to see for myself and make my own judgements. Thus, she merely nods politely, watching the young man as he fiddles with his cards, a vaguely amused expression on her face.

When it comes her turn to tell the others about herself, Silvisia hesitates a bit before responding. "Ahh, well... I've never really done anything like this before, actually," she starts. "I mostly just work in the hospital back at home..." At the word home, she cuts off suddenly, belatedly remembering that Varisians aren't always treated with respect in Korvosa and that her new acquaintances might already know that. Switching the subject, she continues, "I mean, I guess you could tell I've never fought before," with a slight chuckle.

[Frosty]

The barkeep, who looks very similar to the sheriff, smiles at Randalin "You are in luck, today the rabbit stew and the brown ale are free. To give our thanks to Desna and the return of the children, the peppercorn venison is on special for only 3 copper!" He seems to be in a especially good mood. The goblin's ears perk up at the mention of rabbit. "Oooh...rabbit is RARE treat for Stink-Eye! All da big goblins take take take first! Barkeep, pretty pretty please let Stink-Eye having the two bowls of soup, and also one ale of browning?"


"Oh, sweet! I'll take the peppercorn stew, and a tankard of brown ale to go with it." She exclaims as the barkeep explains the day's menu. Tossing three copper pieces on the counter, she helps herself to a table by the windows, beckoning to her companions to join. This way they would have a view of the festivities while enjoying their meal. In response to Dante's question, she says "I'm kind of like a monster hunter. No creature in this land is too fearsome a foe for good old Randalin here." She boasts, deliberately fluttering her waist length patchwork cloak behind her. The entire cloak is clearly hand sewn, somewhat amateurishly in places, but in a way that leaves no doubt as to the origin of each square of fabric. "As long as you've got a good tankard of ale and a fine meal ready when I get back, I'll turn whatever beast that is threatening your stuff into a handsome cloak. Or a shirt. Or a mask. I'm not picky." She allows herself a short chuckle at her little joke. "Really, though, this wasn't much different from what I usually do, the beasts are just smaller. And make poorer cloaks."
Stink-Eye listens to Randalin's boasting. At the end, he quietly asks, "You...make cloaks from da goblin skins?"

[CannonGerbil]

When it comes her turn to tell the others about herself, Silvisia hesitates a bit before responding. "Ahh, well... I've never really done anything like this before, actually," she starts. "I mostly just work in the hospital back at home..." At the word home, she cuts off suddenly, belatedly remembering that Varisians aren't always treated with respect in Korvosa and that her new acquaintances might already know that. Switching the subject, she continues, "I mean, I guess you could tell I've never fought before," with a slight chuckle.
"That was your first time fighting?" Randalin asks, voice incredulous. "I thought you were used to this, the way you handled yourself in that tomb. Most of you civilized types fall all over yourselves when the blood starts flying."


Stink-Eye listens to Randalin's boasting. At the end, he quietly asks, "You...make cloaks from da goblin skins?"

At the goblin's soft question, she gets a puzzled look on her face for a moment, before understanding gleams upon her and her faces assumes a . "Oh, yeah, sure. Got to have something to show to my tribe when I head back, you know?" She pauses for a moment to let it sink in, before her endurance runs it's course and she cracks into laughter. "Come on, I'm just joking. I mean, I do enjoy turning the creatures I kill into cloaks, but Goblins don't have fur, and I don't think you're thick enough to make good leather." She gives the presumably thoroughly unnerved goblin a good ruffle on the head, really enjoying having someone smaller than her in the party.

"So, what do the cards say?" She asks, finally taking her hands off the Goblin as Pyrom finishes dealing out his cards.

[Hamste]

Fortune telling is a bit more personal than that, I can't just using the cards to tell a general future. What those say is about me and I rather not say what they mean. Here is a quick one I will do for you though Pyrom says scooping up the ten card pattern he had randomly made. Instead he shuffled the deck and dealt three cards face down in a simple left to right line.

Ok, so this left one represents the past. Pyrom says flipping a card with a picture of a winged serpent perched over several humans worshiping it.

It is the winged serpent and is the path between wisdom and judgement. It means that you have once faced a tough decision and you made a wise decision in how you handled it. Pyrom says trying to remember what ever drunken stories Randalin had once told him so he could get more specific before deciding just to stay with a more general answer.

The middle one represents the present. Pyrom says a flips over a card with a knight in shining armor riding a horse who is beating down some demons on it.

It is the paladin who defends the weak from corruption. It means when you face great adversity you should stay strong and resolute. Do not back down when faced with trouble. Pyrom says, thinking of the types of things Randalin would want to hear.

The final card represents the future. Pyrom says flipping over the final card revealing a card with a picture of crows tearing apart an eyeless man that appears to be screaming. One of the crows has an eye in its beak and appears to be eating it. ...crap, I thought I had replaced that card. People never appreciate seeing that card and I can't blame them.

Erm... that is the crows. They represent violent death, murder and theft. With the paladin it suggests that something bad is going to happen sometime in your future and you will have a chance to stop or minimize it as long as you stay steady in the face of trouble. Pyrom says looking down at the cards. He scoops them back up and adds them to the deck.


Pyroms bluff to cover that he has no clue what he is doing. [roll0] He may get a circumstance bonus for props but didn't include that. I also get a plus 5 against anyone who is drunk (though I don't think any of the group is yet) and plus 5 vs anyone who wants to believe me.

Also for those with enough knowledge planes the winged serpent is a Couatl

[ngilop]

As Pyrom tells Randalin her fortune, Silvisia eyes suddenly go wide by quickly go back to normal (DC 20 to spot, Pyrom and Randalin have a -4 penalty due to being focused on the Harrow fortune) . The peppercorn venision is much better than expected and the smell mouth watering, "The house speciality" The serving girl says as she sets the plates down. "and for you friend goblin" as she places 2 bowls of rabbit soup in front of the goblin. The peices of rabbit are huge, the biggest Stink-Eye has ever seen. The benefits of farm raised instead of wild caught.
The Barkkeep scratches his chin for a brief moment and answers Vanken After the release of the swallow tails there will be many games and competitions for all to enjoy. I am sure you will find one or two that would interest one such as yourself."

OOC: my bad there, totally did you see your post hella, my apologies.


So I totally forgot to include this in the big 17, but Spoilers for a particular player are to be read by that player only please :)

As Pryom tells the fortune your mind is assaulted with images of goblins settings fires to Sandpoint, attacking people, and murdering dogs. You attempt to say something to somebody...anybody buy your mouth does not seem to work and your tongue and lips refuse to form words

[CannonGerbil]

Randalin proves to be a captive audience, nodding, somewhat smugly, as each card is revealed. The final card gave her a slight pause, but as Pyrom continued his explanation the confident smile returned back to her face. "So, basically, just keep doing what I do, right? You know me, I'm not exactly known for folding up and running." She cheerfully quips, being completely oblivious to Silvasia's reaction. "I wonder what the last card means. We already faced down a goblin tribe, so maybe a bugbear tribe will start causing trouble next? Or, ooh, maybe the remaining goblins would seek revenge?" She openly muses as she helped herself to her meal.

OOC:I think you missed Hella's piece, Vanken asked the barkeeper a question.

[Hella Lugosi]

"Oh, I plan on taking part in more than one or two, my friend." Vanken says, taking a swig from her first tankard. "The way I see it, you enter enough contests, you're bound to come up on top in one of them"

Perception: [roll0]

[Hamste]

It isn't a very exact form of prediction. Just consider the types of threat possible and be ready. It is much more likely a theft occurs or that the next time you go hunting the beast may be more dangerous than you expected but I guess goblin revenge could be a thing. Pyrom says before starting to eat the venison.

[Ceralune]

Silvisia's eyes light up as the barkeep brings out the food, and she's about to voice her thanks only to be interrupted as images flood her mind. Wh-What?! Hesitantly, she glances around at the others standing at the counter, but the way they carry on chatting about the fortune-telling cards (and the irony of that is not lost on her) makes it clear that whatever just happened was seen by Silvisia alone... and it's enough to send her into a bit of a tizzy. Unfortunately, it seems that asking them isn't an option, as her tongue twists when she tries to say the words, and she quickly takes a bite of her venison to cover up the strange behavior.

That... That's never happened before. It almost felt like... something that hadn't happened... yet. But even with Sarenrae's prophecy I could tell anyone I wanted, if I chose to, Silvisia thinks to herself quietly. Sandpoint was being attacked... by goblins. Maybe it's just the stress from the battle getting to me? she wondered helplessly. Sometimes the guards who were overworked spouted things that sounded like wild hallucinations too!

Afraid that her ability for speech might actually be gone, she rejoins the others' conversation, commenting at the cards. "That's... good to know, I suppose." Silvisia shapes the words slowly at first, relief overtaking her as they come out easily enough.

[grifter730]

Dante listened intently as everyone told their tales, keeping quiet and providing no comment unless asked. When it came to his turn, he hesitated for a moment, but then cleared his throat. "I grew up here, actually, not too far away. I'm quite well acquainted with the humdrum of life here. You need anything sold, you let me know, I've got a connection here will give us a great deal, better than anything you can get elsewhere. Used to hang about the Rusty Dragon Inn all day, causing all sorts of mischief. Fell in with the wrong crowd and had to get away, a common tale for a common man, I suppose. Came back here thinking I might be able to become a city guard or constable of some sort. I was dead set on bringing a special kind of hell to these streets. My streets. And here, my word would be the law. But then the children went missing, it felt natural to join that venture."


Perception: [roll0]

[ngilop]

The meals goes smoothly there are a couple interruptions of various sandpoint citizens thanking the group for their actions, but mostly everybody is just all around in a good mood for the festivities.

After Lunch is over the White Deer clears out, all patrons going out to partake of the loosing of the Swallowtails.

Noon
Father Zantus and his acolytes wheel a large covered wagon into the square,
"Many ages ago, an avatar of the blessed goddess warred with the Mother of Monsters. The avatar was wounded, and plummeted from the Heavens. Her wounds were mortal; she was dying. But lo! an orphan of man found her! Though she herself was blind and but a child, she nursed the avatar back to health. The avatar of the goddess was very thankful for the selfless deeds of the child, and in thanks transformed her into an immortal butterfly.
As a butterfly, the child could forever fly be it day or be it night. All the wonders of the world she did see, and forever she was beloved of Desna.
In remembrance of this holy event, and the saving of our own children, we honor the child, the heroes, and the avatar. And now, we release the Children of Desna!". At that signal, they pull aside the wagon’s cover, releasing the thousand children of Desna—a furious storm of a thousand swallowtail butterflies that swarm into the air in a spiraling riot of color to a great cheer from the crowd.
Entertainment is provided free, at the expense of Sandpoint’s establishments. Each brings its best Cyrdak doing impromptu monologues, Madame Mvashti telling fortunes, and so on—this event is as much a marketing push by the various businesses to win new customers as it is to entertain a hungry crowd. It soon becomes apparent that the darling of the day is, once again, Ameiko Kaijitsu, whose remarkable curry-spiced salmon, which wins a vote for best dish, and her own musical performance seems otherworldly.

Throughout the rest of the day, children futilely chase butterflies, never quite quick enough to catch them. While the adults do more intensive activities. The three most popular seems to be the eggs catch, the log toss, and the spin & run.

[Ceralune]

Silvisia finishes her venison with gusto, marveling at the interesting combination of flavors. The peppercorn really gives it that subtle, but ever-present kick... and the texture of the meat is a little unrefined, but nevertheless satisfying. She supposes that it isn't surprising how mother and father prefer the food served in their household, but this is still a great experience and one that she's happy to devour.

After primly wiping her mouth clean, she rises from her seat and joins the others outside. The announcement of the so-called "releasing of Desna's children" is initially perplexing to her, but as the butterflies flutter through the breeze she puts two and two together easily enough. Almost forgetting to breathe in the light air that surrounds them, tastier than Korvosa's ever was, she marvels at the sight - This is something that anyone could enjoy, lest they were truly daft fools.

As the crowd starts to split off, each person going to the respective attractions that appeals to them, Silvisia's glance skips right over the fortune-tellers. Plenty of that at home, she absentmindedly thinks to herself, not recognizing her own aversion to any sort of prophesying after the strange vision earlier. Likewise, she's rather stuffed after that meal at the White Deer, so she passes on watching the taste-testing. No, what really piques her curiosity are the games that some of the citizens seem to be playing.

Silvisia thus starts off in the direction of a group of people who seem to be tossing - are those eggs? - up in the air, but an unfamiliar wave of shyness then overtakes her. Can... Can I really just march into a group of strangers and join in? Belatedly remembering that others in the group had expressed wishes to participate in contests, she nudges Vanken with a combination of tentativeness and eagerness not to have to go alone. "Er... would you - and any others - care to join me in some of the games?" she asks sheepishly.

[Hella Lugosi]

As she finishes her food and drink, Vanken is polite and humble to those who come to thank her, though does her best to subtly play up her personal role as their saviour as much as possible. Still slightly tipsy from her meal, she watches Father Zantus's service with a degree of fascination and bewilderment, before heading off to look at what the town had to offer.

It doesn't take long before she stumbles upon the log toss - her kind of game. She is about to enter when Silvisia nervously approaches her. Vanken's eyes light up at Silvisia's question, and a broad grin takes shape on her face. "Why of course! I always love a bit of friendly competition. Which ones did you have in mind?"

[Ceralune]

Silvisia beams at the easy acceptance to her request. "Ohh! Well, I've never done any of these before. I'm not really sure where to start, actually," she admits. "So... whatever you'd like to start with would be great!"

[Hella Lugosi]

"Excellent! Well, my plan is to absolutely nail the log toss, so that's going to be my first port of call. If you reckon you've got the muscle for it, you're more than welcome to join me. After that, I'm happy to let you take the lead. On that note, Vanken begins to head over to where the game seems to be starting.

[CannonGerbil]

Never one to shy away from glory, Randalin welcomed the additional attention that they received over lunch, even managing to tell a slightly exaggerated version of their adventure to a couple of interested villagers. The meal itself was quite palatable -it wasn't the best food that she has ever eaten, but it's certain a step above her regular fare, especially considering the price she paid for them.

After the meal, she joined the others for the releasing of Desna's children, oohing and aahing at the flood of colors surrounding them. She attempted to catch one of the butterflies off her own, making snatching gestures at the air as they flew past, though never being fast enough to pinch one. She was just about to join the children in chasing them down when the snippets of conversation her companions shared caught her attention.

"Oh, log tossing sounds great!"She exclaims, jumping between Silvasia and the Nagaji, her breath smelling faintly of alcohol. She had managed to down a grand total of three tankards of ale over lunch, though other than making her louder it doesn't seem to have affected her much. Then again, given her general lack of restraint in general, even if it did affect her one would be hard-pressed to tell the difference. Eying Vanken meaningfully, she continues "I hope your sword skills are as good as your throwing skill, otherwise you're about to get completely demolished."

[Hamste]

Pyrom enjoys his meal savoring it. He accepted the praise that was given to him as he eats. During his meal, ee finished his tankard of ale but passed on getting a second. If he was gambling he didn't want to be wasted. That was a more late at night thing.

He enjoyed watching the butterflies though he didn't quite understand it. The avatar made her savior a butterfly? Pyrom what was she thinking when she was made into a butterfly. You know what I want instead of opposable thumbs? To be an immortal tiny bug.

I'm quite interested in the log tossing competition as well. I mean they are essentially the same thing as cards right? Pyrom says confidentally. After all, how hard could it be?

Random question, is the log tossing competition like the caber toss where you just have to flip the log as straight as possible or is it based off distance thrown?

[ngilop]

The group makes it way over the the log toss . There are several logs, most are 6 foot and a good 5 or 6 inches in girth while there are a handful of logs that are perhaps a cubit long and a couple of inches thick, you would guess for the children who want to partake of this sport. The man in charge of this particular competitor seems a bit distracted by a young girl's flirtations, he quickly stands rigid and lightly pushes the girl away she seems indignant but turns her head where the man, you seem to remember his name as Benny, is looking and she hurriedly runs off into the crowd. The man notices you all and walks a bit awkwardly toward you a few steps before correcting his pace. "So, you have come to show us how heroes do it proper, eh? Well lets see how I goes.' He bends down and grunts a bit to pick up a log and hands it to Vanken, the log seems to weigh around 60 pounds or so, a bit heavier than expected. "The trick is to bend at the knees and throw from the bottom." He then picks up one of the smaller logs and demonstrates the action of bending, where to grip, and how to throw. The group all take their turns and so do some townsfolk, everybody hushes when one of the town guards, a burly man who has won the actual local competition the last 2 years, comes up to throw

Log Throwing: is a simple Strength check, each point of strength check over 7 is 2 feet distance with every rank in profession: log thrower giving you an extra half foot.
NPC rolls
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2] +1.5 feet
[roll3]

[Hamste]

[roll0] plus 3 from motivate strength for 30 ft
I will edit what happens after seeing the result of the roll.

[Hella Lugosi]

"Hah! Bold talk." Vanken says, rising to Randalin's challenge. "What's say we bet the next round of drinks on whoever can chuck theirs further?"

"Thanks for the advice Benny, though I'll have you know this isn't my first rodeo." Vanken says with a wink, despite this very much being her first rodeo. Arrogance getting the better of her, she takes her position, gripping the log firmly. "I recommend you bring out your history books, 'cause you're gonna have something new to add to them by the time I'm done."

Swift Action: Project an Aura of Strength
[roll0]
I am hoping to God I roll low on this, purely 'cause it would be hilarious

[Hamste]

There were replies before I posted so just making a new reply. Roll up 2 posts.

I would like to get in on that bet...though given that the ale was free today it isn't much of a bet. Pyrom says smiling moving forward for his turn.

Thanks for the tip. This is the first time I have tried log throwing so this should be interesting. Pyrom says to the man before picking up the log. It didn't seem to bother him very much as he lifts it an easily tosses it following the advice of the other man as well as well as thinking of how sweet it would be to win the bet. Even if the bet was relatively meaningless.

[Ceralune]

Silvisia watches carefully as Benny demonstrates proper log-throwing technique. Hmm... okay, I think I got it. Carefully, she grips the log, though the burden of its weight is evident from the appearance of her strained face, and attempts to replicate his motion.

I don't know how much Aura of Strength adds, so I will just roll with her STR bonus and hopefully someone who knows what's going on can fill me in. >.<

Strength: [roll0] + 3 (Aura of Strength) = 20

As the log lands close to those of many of the other contestants, Silvisia mentally marvels at herself a bit. Perhaps her determination and focus helped bring about such a favorable result. Well, wasn't expecting that to happen first try!

[grifter730]

Dante was terse but polite with visitors who stopped by to congratulate the group during their meal, preferring to let the others speak instead of himself. He delighted in seeing the thousands of butterflies fluttering about during ceremony, but as the party broke away to participate in games, he excused himself and headed a different direction.

Seeing his target, Dante smiled slightly. "Ameiko Kaijitsu, it's been half a decade, and your voice remains enchanting as ever," he praised her for her earlier performance. "And you look ageless, of course. Truly a splendid sight for such weary eyes. Tell me, how have you been? How's the Rusty Dragon Inn? Tell me everything!"

[CannonGerbil]

[roll0] log throwing roll, will make post in a couple of hours.

Also what's the bet that this roll is the one thst finally gets a low number?

[CannonGerbil]

"You're on!" Randalin agreed, rushing to take her place at the event. She watches the initial demonstration with obvious impatience, all but saying "It's just a log throw, how complicated can it be?" with her posture, and rushes to take a log as soon as she is able. "Only if they have a place in the books for second place, sister." She responds to the Nagaji's boasts, and, with a huge grunt, sends her log flying end over end out into the field, where it lands with a dull thud a significant distance away.

"YES!" She cheers. Panting slightly from the exertion, she takes a step back to take a look at how the other contestants are doing. Most of them ended up fairly close to where she was, though her log was still a fair distance ahead of everyone else. She nodded appreciatively as Pyrom did his throw, and let out a low whistle as Silvasia did hers, not expecting her to get that much mileage. "Wow, didn't think she had that much strength in her." she mutters. At last, Vanken stepped up, and as her log fell into the fields, a smile starts slowly growing on her face. She's good, but not good enough.

Walking up to the Nagaji, she teases. "Looks like the first round will be on you tonight."

Well, I sure as hell didn't expect that.

[Hella Lugosi]

Her own log stopping a few feet short of her competitors, Vanken does her best to hide her disappointment and returns to the sidelines with a swagger that says I totally meant to do that. "Well surely I can't have been that ba--" The thought is cut off as she watches Randalin take her turn and absolutely nail it. "OK, I'm not even mad, that was genuinely amazing." She says with a surprisingly sincere smile. "Thank the Gods for free ale."

[ngilop]

There is a fair amount of tough talk and friendly harassment from the townsfolk and each other as each comes up to attempt the log toss. The crowd goes completely silent with mouths agape at the perfet throw from Randalin, the town guard even gives her ahearty slap on the shoulder "Looks like a new champ is in town." He says with a big grin.

Ameiko puts down her instrument and sweetly smiles at Dante. "The Red Dragon is doing very well, much to the chagrin of father."

[CannonGerbil]

Randalin basks in the praise with a self satisfied smile on her face. Eventually, the crowd clears up, and she moves to rejoin her companions.

"So, what's next? I could go for a drink or two. Breaking records isn't easy, you know? Plus, they are free, after all." She says with a wink.

[Ceralune]

"A drink? Sure!" Silvisia responds enthusiastically. I wonder what kinds of drinks they have here... surely something I haven't tried before. Determined to absorb as much of this new culture as she can, she follows along with those going to the tavern.

[grifter730]

"Your father is still doing well then?" Dante asks Ameiko. "It's been so long, I'd love to catch up with you and hear news of home. And of course I'll tell you all about my own journey. Might we have a drink and catch up?"

Dante is genuinely interested in catching up with Ameiko, no ulterior motives here. He owes her for his life, and hasn't seen her since he fled Sandpoint about 5 years ago.

[Hamste]

Quite impressive that was. Thought there was a good chance I would win with my throw but that was just amazing. Anyways, sure, I'm always good for a drink. Which bar will we go to?
Pyrom asks.

[Hella Lugosi]

Vanken shrugs at Pyrom's question. "Wherever's free. Which should be everywhere, as long as Randalin doesn't order anything from the top shelf."

[CannonGerbil]

"Alright then, lets hit up Cracktooth's." Randalin says, and leads the group towards the tavern in the middle of the town.

[ngilop]

Ameiko thinks for a second then nods her head "Sure, the activites are dieing down, I supposed everybody is going home to clean up for the temple's dedication. So, We have a while to catch up." As they make their way to the Inn an acolyte of Father Zantus runs by muttering about a thunderstone and the both enter the Rusty Dragon and are greeted by a jovial elderly Halfling woman that Ameiko introduces at Bethana. You see a 'help wanted' signed posted next the bar. "Well my life has been...interesting I left town and went adventuring for a few years before that ended." She says the last word after a pause and a deep look off into nothing before continuing. "Made father upset.. not as upset as buying and fixing up this run down tavern though, I care not for his opinion on the mater though." She says matter of factly. "Stories about Sandpoint since you have been gone. Well the biggest I guess is they found out who Chooper was a week or so after you left and some time after that a fire started at the old Chapel and burnt a handful of buildings. It has taken some time, but the funds and materials for the new cathedral are finished and we all are looking at the consecration at sunset as a new beginning for sandpoint. The rest of the afternoon is filled with small talk, about any romantic interests a chance for Ameiko to badmouth Cyrdak with out ever giving a reason as to why.

As the other group heads to Cracktooth's they are almost ran into by a little boy shouting "I've got your dolly. I got your dolly." Followed in hot pursuit by a smaller girl who is most likely his sister yelling "Put her down.. you are making her hair a mess. MOOM!!" Eventually the boy trips and the girl gets her dolly back sticking her tongue out as she snatches it out of the boys arms.

The Cracktooth is a lot more than you expect, Jesk, the owner and operator, seem the perfect image of a muscled and scarred thug. The tavern though has a large stage and you overhear some guests talking about his political observation of Magnimar a fortnight ago. A serving girl comes up to where you have taken a table and asks "what it be for the heroes? Our house special is Kippers and duck eggs, but no cost is chicken and lintel soup As for drinks our house mead is free, but a bottle of perry is 5 copper."

[Ceralune]

Silvisia raises an eyebrow at the little boy as he trips, but while it appears to be well-deserved, she nevertheless stops to offer the little boy a hand with getting up. "Come on, dust yourself off. There you go. And maybe go apologize to that little girl... a gentleman doesn't antagonize a lady like that... and if he does, he should at least go atone for his mistake, yes?" She smiles gently at him before catching back up to the rest of the group as they enter the Cracktooth.

The appearance of the owner gives Silvisia a bit of a shock, and she hesitates before finally stepping into the tavern. He looks like a man you don't want to mess with... I bet he could take on five of the Korvosan Guard and still come out on top. But he also looks like he might be involved with the wrong sort-- She shakes herself a bit, reprimanding herself quietly. Oh, come now... you just decided you were going to try and really get to know this place, not make snap judgements based on appearance! She then realizes with a start that it's her turn to order, and gives the serving girl a hasty smile before replying, "The house mead would be lovely, thank you," still satiated from their earlier meal.

It's then that she sneaks a glance towards the owner once more. You know, one of these days you're going to have to put your money where your mouth is. No better time like the present... right? Swallowing a small gulp, she thus makes her way over to where he is standing. "Good day, sir," she hesitantly begins with, not realizing that the politeness of her words seem entirely out of place and downright odd in this place until after they've come out. "How is your day going thus far? Are you enjoying the festival?"

In case it's needed, Diplomacy: [roll0]

[CannonGerbil]

Randalin deftly dodges the young boy as he tears through the group, shouting a "Hey, watch where you are running." after their retreating backs. She paused slightly as the boy tripped, but swiftly shifts her attention back to the road once she has ascertained that no serious damage has befallen either of them.

As the group enters the cracktooth, Randalin's eyes lingers for a few more moments than usual on Jask, though her attention is quickly drawn away when the serving girl lists off the menu. "Perry? For five copper?" She asks, an excited glint appearing within her eye. She glances towards Vanken. "You don't mind, do you?"

[Hella Lugosi]

Vanken knows what's coming as soon as Jask reads out the menu. "Ah well. I made my bed, I may as well lie in it." She turns to Jask. "Make that two perries."

[CannonGerbil]

"Yes!" Randalin exclaimed, shooting her fist into the air. She gave the serving girl a quick "What she said." before settling down into her seat and humming a jovial little tune as she waits for her order.

[Hamste]

I will have one as well. So what do we do after this? Pyrom asks. He takes out his deck and starts playing with it again while waiting.

[ngilop]

Jesk raises an eyebrow and grins a toothy grin before replying to Silvisia. "You must be Korvosan Aristocracy of some sort, no need to be so formal here in Sandpoint, let alone in Cracktooth's tavern." He chuckles which relaxes you a bit before continuing "I'm doing good the festival was fun. I can say that I was a shock to see your companion throw the log so much further than ol' Stom, but then again now that I think of it.. you are heroes now."

The serving girl comes by and hands off a muf of mead to Silvisia and Jesk before walking over to the others and placing 3 bottles of perry in front of them. "I think most of the festivities are over, Most are just cleaning up and getting ready for the consecration of the new temple at sunset."

[grifter730]

Dante listens to Ameiko's tales with a sort of thirst after a long hard day's work. He didn't realize how much he'd miss his old home. As the tales began to die down, Dante smiled and raised his mug. "Well, here's to new beginnings then." He takes a long drink, and then settles the mug down, eyeing Ameiko. "So, tell me, what do you know about the city watch here? Are they rife with corruption? I was thinking of joining and enforcing the law here. Investigate crimes and whatnot. It'd be a nice way to pay back the city for my youthful misdeeds."

[CannonGerbil]

Randalin enthusiastically lifts the bottle of perry to her lips. She doesn't get the chance to taste fruit based spirits very often, particularly when she herself isn't paying for it, and is loathe to see good spirits go to waste. After a possibly unhealthily long swig that drains almost a quarter of her bottle, she finally lets the bottle leave her lips, letting out a contented sigh as she did so.

"Well, the temple is as good a place to be as any, then." She says, upon hear what the serving girl had to say. "I mean, unless you want to go chase after a butterfly or something."

[Ceralune]

Silvisia laughs nervously, wondering to herself how the man's intuition is so spot on. "Am I that obvious?" At the notion of being a hero, she stops and thinks about it for a moment. "It... wasn't what I expected doing when I came here, that's for sure. But I'm glad I could be helpful to your town. And yes, I think Randalin shocked everyone, us 'heroes' included. We've seen some very anticlimactic endings to her boasts, so it was a pleasant surprise to see her do so well! ... But emphasis on 'surprise.'"

[Hella Lugosi]

Vanken downs a slug of perry as quickly as she physically can, trying not to show any outward signs of either intoxication or regret, before slamming it back down on the counter. "Church sounds good. There's wine in churches, right?"

[ngilop]

Silvisia, Pyrom, Vanken, and Randalin wander around the festival after time spent at Cracktooth's. Silvisia having learned "don't judge a book by its cover' very well in her conversation with Jesk while the rest of her group drank and bragged loudly. They draw friendly glances from people when they pass by. Near the end of the afternoon all 4 of you find yourself at the same table sharing some desert.

Dante and Ameiko spend more time than they intended to talking and reminiscing to each other about times gone by and of adventure. She tells Dante that he would make a great watchmen and there is no corruption in any meangful way as the Sheriff is a just if stern man. Though there is a bit of a scandal about his involvement with Lady Kaye


Evening
Finally, as the sun begins to set, Father Zantus takes the central podium, and prepares to recite the Prayer of First Dreaming. The sun’s setting rays paint the western sky red. A stray dog that has crawled under a nearby wagon to sleep starts awake, and the buzz of two dozen conversations quickly hushes as all heads turn toward the central podium, where a beaming Father Zantus has taken the stage. He clears his throat and uses a thunderstone to attract everyone’s attention. A sharp retort, like the crack of distant thunder, slices through the excited crowd as he takes a breath to speak, and suddenly a woman’s scream slices through the air. A heartbeat later, another scream rises, then another. Beyond them, a sudden surge of strange new voices rises—high-pitched, tittering shrieks that sound not quite human. The crowd parts and something low to the ground races by, giggling with disturbing glee as the stray dog gives a pained yelp and then collapses with a gurgle, its throat cut open from ear to ear. As blood pools around its head, the raucous sound of a strange song begins, chanted from shrill, scratchy voices. The shape that raced by and killed the dog now hides at the edge of the wagon—a single goblin, licking the blood from its dogslicer as it looks excitedly at the crowd, seeking out a new target.

Dante and Ameiko arrive just before the thunderstone goes off arrive from the east from the Rusty Dragon.

The party is seated at a table with mugs of water, as even Randalin has had enough spirits for the day, and a plate of a sweet dessert. 60' to the north is the goblin under the cart with the dead dog. The nearest goblin sounds are to the west (across the road), and north. The goblins making the sounds are concealed by the crowd. Parents are yelling for their kids, people are screaming in pain or panic. Father Zantus tries to exert some control, but to no avail. The peaceful festival has turned into chaos just too fast, and few of the people are armed.

Battlemap: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RPkx0_cXj6Y-wDhv-Tqrg5TO9UqS_-pS9hpIF88u3HE/edit#gid=1786871633

[Ceralune]

Silvisia looks on in appreciation at the newly finished church, but as the quiet gives way to screams that pierce through the air, she looks around, completely caught off guard. This... this is just like what I saw earlier... what do I do?! She looks around helplessly at the panicking townsfolk before turning to what she knows best, completely forgetting her crossbow for the moment.

Reaching out a hand to Randalin, she murmurs a protective chant that the clerics sometimes used at the Temple to ward off the imps in the city. "Please... we need to help these people!"

Silvisia is staggered for the first round of combat, and tries to use her sole action on casting Protection From Evil on Randalin. +2 Deflection Bonus to AC and +2 resistance bonus to saves applying against effects/attacks made by evil creatures.

Initiative: [roll0]

[grifter730]

Dante's heart and mind were filled with a nostalgic gaiety, the barest hint of a smile cracking his stern face. The night felt warm and promising. Alas, perhaps it was not to be.

As Father Zantus takes the central podium and casts the thunderstone, a woman's shrill scream cuts through the silence, and then another. Immediately Dante moves in front of Ameiko, and a heartbeat later realizing the idiocy of the move, for if tales of her exploits were even half true, she could probably flick him away with a mere snap of her fingers. Still, she was talented in telling stories after all, so perhaps moving to protect her wasn't unwarranted.

Dante's eyes flickered all around him, seeing the goblins approaching, but also his companions about him. They've been through worse than this. Surely they've been through worse. This lot of goblins didn't look half so threatening. "Formation!" Dante called out. "Casters take the back. Don't get split up, and don't let them flank us."

I'd like to think that the group would have known formations to take, but just in case, Dante's calling it out. We've got buildings behind us, so tanks up front, casters and support sandwiched between us and the building. Does that sound good for everyone? Dante should be able to survive a few hits. AoE spells, control spells, or buff spells would be appreciated.

Dante asks Ameiko to move next to Vanken, and then he himself will move in front of Vanken and Ameiko both (that's his move action). Standard action is used to activate his Barkskin qinggong ability.

[Hamste]

I suggest clearing paths for people to flee. If at all possible Pyrom says as he takes a step to the right with the harrow card he had been about go deal. He casts a spell while revealing the card and tosses it at the nearest goblin hoping to hit it despite all the drink he had.


Move action to stand. As he has not moved this turn he steps one square to the right on the map. I think this puts him just with in 20 ft of the closest goblin (the one around G12). As a swift action he spends an arcane point to give the care a +1 enchancement bonus). He then casts shocking grasp and tosses it at the Goblin.

On a 2-5 the matches one axis of his alignment on a 1 it matches both (only matters if I roll a 19 or 20 to hit)
[roll0]

His to hit
[roll1] 3 less if that goblin does not have a metal weapon or armor (the weapon looks metal)

[roll2] normal damage and [roll3] electric



[roll4] 3 less if that goblin does not have a metal weapon or armor

[roll5] normal damage and [roll6] electric



I hope I got this all right, my sheet is still half remade.

[CannonGerbil]

Randalin sits nursing a mug of water, having been convinced by the rest of the party that, after downing three mugs of ale and half a bottle of Perry, further drinks can wait till later in the evening, or at least after Father Zantus's speech. The most probably would've preferred her not to have any more for the day, but given her temperament such is probably far outside the realm of possibility. Still, for the moment, at least, she had the bottle of perry tucked away within her sash, keeping herself occupied with dessert while they waited for the event to start.

The sound of the thunderstone tears her away from the plate, but she barely has time to register that Father Zentus has taken the podium before a a loud scream causes her to shift her gaze in that direction. That scream soon becomes a growing cacophony, accompanied by a series of shrill scratchy voices that she has become intimately familiar with after the events of the past few days.

"Wait, are those..." She starts, reflexively grabbing her warhammer. Her eyes fell upon a group of green skinned, small humanoid figures towards their north, small humanoids that definitely had no business being at this gathering. "GOBLINS!" She yelled, and before anyone could stop her, she has already leap out of her seat towards the closest group of goblins within the crowd, her warhammer raised and at the ready.



Randalin charges north to attack the second goblin from the left in that group.

Attack roll: 1d20+9

Damage roll: [roll0] (Power attack+Furious focus)

Initiative: [roll1]

[CannonGerbil]

Sorry, screwed up the attack roll.

Attack roll: [roll0]

[Hella Lugosi]

Her attention drawn by the voices, Vanken watches the goblins approach with horror, before her face hardens into an expression of steely determination. She turns to her allies and barks out a series of orders. "Two parties, one from the north, another from the west. Focus on protecting the civilians, they didn't choose this fight." Gripping the handle of her greatsword, she eyes her target in one of the crowds of goblins. "GIVE THEM HELL!"
Vanken will charge at north at the first goblin from the left (the one roughly at the edge of the F column) using Tactical Strike.
Swift Action: Activate Aura (Motivate Attack)
Attack Roll: [roll0]
Damage Roll: [roll1]

[ngilop]

Round 1

The appearance of goblins in town, let alone the violence from the goblins is more than enough to set the people of Sandpoint into a massive panic. The crowd runs about trying to get away from the goblins. But the goblins are everywhere. Screams of victims and cries of panic fill the air. Tables are overturned and food is trampled into the ground. The group is quick to react, 3 goblins go down without much trouble. The ease at which their comrades fall seem to turn the goblins focus from random items of interest to the party. One goblin moves up to strike Randalin and another smiles thinking that unarmored Dante is an easy target and takes a swing, the goblin in the back to the west moves up and tosses a flaming concoction towards Silvisia, while the one with a shield. if that is what it can be called, stays put barking orders. Vanken and Randalin hear a strange song being sung by the lone female goblin encountered so far.

[Goblin]Goblins chew and goblins bite.
Goblins cut and goblins fight.
Stab the dog and cut the horse,
Goblins eat and take by force!

Goblins race and goblins jump.
Goblins slash and goblins bump.
Burn the skin and mash the head,
Goblins here and you be dead!

Chase the baby, catch the pup.
Bonk the head to shut it up.
Bones be cracked, flesh be stewed,
We be goblins! You be food!

OOC: Tactical strike: +2 morale to ac and attacks for 3 rounds.

Goblin 1-on randalin: Att: [roll0] Dmg: [roll1]

Goblin 2 -on Dante: Att:[roll2] Dmg:[roll3]

Goblin alchemist-on silvisia: Att: [roll4] Dmg[roll5]

[Ceralune]

The thrown concoction narrowly misses Silvisia, instead landing on the ground and shattering, causing its contents to splash around the site of impact. Th-That was close! Worried that the little troublemaker might have more on hand, her hand scrambles towards her belt pouch, extracting a single bolt. After stepping carefully to the south so as to get a better shot, Silvisia loads it into her crossbow and fire at the offending goblin who threw the vial.

Base AC of 17 +2 from morale bonus +4 from cover?? (if this is incorrect, do tell me, there doesn't seem to be an obvious grid so I am unsure). Assuming this is correct, the thrown vial does not hit, instead landing on the ground. Silvisia (and Dante too, I think?) takes 1 point of splash damage. HP: 36/37
Silvisia 5-foot steps to shoot at the goblin without him having the benefit of cover, then fires a bolt at him.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Crit? [roll2]
Crit Damage: [roll3]

[CannonGerbil]

Randalin smiles as her warhammer makes contact with the goblin's skull with a satisfying crack, caving it's skull in and sending the rest of the poor creature crashing into the side of the nearby building. "Stop squealing, there's more enough for everyone!" She yells over the incomprehensible song that the goblins seem to have taken up. A second goblin, fancying his chances, moves up to take a swipe at her with his short sword, which Randalin swiftly sidesteps and uses her momentum to send a devastating overhead blow in return.


AC: 18-2 from charge +2 from protection from evil.

Five foot step to SE to get in range of reach weapon, then attack goblin that just attacked her.

Attack roll: [roll0]

Damage roll: [roll1] (Power attack+Furious focus+enchant bonus)

[Hamste]

Pyrom frowns as the card hits it's mark and causes the goblin to collapse convulsing. At least the goblins were more focused on them but still had to protect others. He turns his sights towards the goblin with the shield. He waits to see if Dante takes care of the goblin in his path and then charges at the goblin raider drawing his sword as he went.


Provoke attacks of opportunity from two goblins (1 if the one that attacked Dante dies this turn). The charge will end between all three goblins on bottom left.
To hit [roll0] 2 from charge, 1 from motivate attack, 2 from tactical strike, 8 usually
[roll1] (actually 1 more damage forgot it was a plus 1 sword)
If hit expend shocking grasp in sword
[roll2]

[roll3]
[roll4]

[grifter730]

With the encounter quickly devolving into an unorganized brawl, Dante, quickly attacks the goblin in front of him, and then rushes westward to encourage the rest of the goblins to attack him.


Standard action:
Attack: [roll0] (this includes the +2 Morale)
Damage: [roll1]

Move action: Regardless of what happens with the above attack, Dante will move to around D-27, right in the middle of the trio of goblins on the west (left side). He'll take any AoO that he might provoke.

Note: Sorry for the short post, weekends are really bad for me since I have the kids at home.

EDIT: Wow, max attack roll AND max damage roll. That's gonna be some epic destruction right there :)

[ngilop]

Round 2

The crowd mills about trying to get away from the goblins. Though the goblins are all around, they can't be everywhere at once and the crowd is finding the spots where there are no goblins. Screams of victims and cries of panic fill the air. Tables are overturned and food is trampled into the ground.

Randalin brains another goblin who collapses with a caved in skull, the chanter grabs a bow and shoots an arrow at the deadly woman while the dog murdered finally makes his way to Vanken and jabs at her with his blade, still dripping canine gore. The goblin on Dante eyes go wide as the monk pummels him to death, almost like the goblin cannot believe what is happening to it, it lies there looking more like ground semi-rotten meat that a goblin.

Silvisia shoots at the fire bomber but misses her bolt going wide. Pyrom yells a battle cry and charges the shield bearing goblin, who takes a little longer than expected to fall down dead as the electricity of Pyrom's spell keeps it upright as it convulses.

With so many goblins dead in the immediate vicinity you all find it odd that these goblins are choosing to stay and fight. Then a sudden realization comes over you all. Screams of victims and cries of panic still fill the air. It is evident that there are many goblins, all over.

Another fire bomb comes flying at Pyrom with excited goblin chattering. At the same time Vanken decapitates the goblin who attacked her. Thoughts of finishing this particular fight and moving on to help the townsfolk now sound in your minds.

Goblin AoO on Pyrom Att: [roll0] Dmg: [roll1]
Goblin on Vanken Att: [roll2] Dmg: [roll3]
goblin Chanter on Randalin Att: [roll4] Dmg: [roll5]
goblin Alchemist on Pyrom Att: [roll6] Dmg: [roll7]

[grifter730]

Looking to clear this area off and move on to another area where their help would be more needed, Dante darts rapidly in and attacks the goblin sandwiched between him and Pyrom.


Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

Move action: Move towards the other goblin next to Pyrom.

[Ceralune]

Silvisia lets out a small grunt in frustration, but tries again.

Another 5-foot step so as to not accidentally hit any PCs, then she shoots again.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Crit? [roll2]
Crit Damage? [roll3]

[CannonGerbil]

A warm spray of goblin blood splashes against Randalin's cheek as her hammer blow turns the unfortunate goblin into an impromptu pinata. The goblin chanter takes that moment to launch an arrow at her... which made a whistling noise as it flew past her ear, the shot having flown wild. A maniac smile creeps onto Randalin's face as she realizes that it is the last goblin in her group. The next moment, she is right on top of the goblin, her longhammer raised in an attack position.

"Hey now, is making weird shrieks the only thing they taught you at goblin fighting school?" She taunts, before bringing her hammer down with all of her strength directly towards the goblin chanter.

AC: 20 (+2 from protection from evil)

Move directly towards goblin chanter (It is within thirty feet, right?) until within 10 feet, then attack with longhammer

Attack roll: [roll0]

Damage roll: [roll1] (Power attack+Furious focus+enchant bonus)

[CannonGerbil]

Note to self: preview ****s up the dice formating something fierce.

Attack roll: [roll0]

Damage roll: [roll1]

[Hamste]

The small gash from the goblin didn't even phase Pyrom as he finished off the raider. Pyrom then attacks the Alchemist hoping to finish them off.


[roll]1d20+10[roll] attack roll against goblin alchemist
[roll0]


[roll]1d20+10[roll]
[roll1]

[Hamste]

Whoops
[roll0]
and confirm
[roll1]

[ngilop]

The crowds thins as people are finding ways around the pockets of fighting and confusion is still rampant. You still hear screams, but in the distance. You are beginning to smell smoke you look around but see no immediate threats. The only goblins you see are the ones you killed. There are a couple of groups still around the square gathered around a few bodies on the ground. The casualties are being attended by some acolytes from the Cathedral. It's obvious there are many goblins still around and fighting, but just not here and now.

Screams of victims and cries of panic still fill the air. It is evident that there are many goblins, all over.

Sandpoint still echoes with the sounds of the goblin song, screams and battle. The town though has started gathering itself for a defense, you see a guardsman, the ex-log tossing champ, run by you still strapping his armor on as he heads off to the south of town. As the group is heading south to join the frey they see ahead of them a large column of smoke begin to rise beyond the line of buildings to the south (high street), 150 or so feet away. Something big is on fire. The remaining crowd in the square yells "FIRE!" The guard runs on past the street, evidently going to help in another part f the town, or mayhaps did not see the smoke or hear those in the square yelling fire.

As you rush down the row of buildings toward the fire, the sound of that awful goblin song becomes louder against the backdrop of fighting, dogs barking and general chaos noises. At the corner you can see down High Street with Downtown spread out before you. There are a few columns of wispy smoke, but none nearly as big as the column near you.

As you round the corner of the building, marked with a weapon-smith sign, you are confronted with an odd sight.
About, 90' away a group of goblins are slowly pushing a cart loaded with burning wood (for the bonfire that was planned for later) toward the slope to downtown. Obviously they want to push a flaming cart down a hill. Of course this would have been easier if they had WAITED to light it on fire. 15' beyond them is a goblin female (with cover from the cart) with a bow. She is singing that awful song while trying to direct the cart pushers with gestures. Writhing around on the ground behind the cart is a burning goblin who wasn't so careful. If he isn't dead, he soon will be. None of them seem to notice you at all.

Battlemap: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RPkx0_cXj6Y-wDhv-Tqrg5TO9UqS_-pS9hpIF88u3HE/edit#gid=1786871633

[Ceralune]

Silvisia gasps at the sight of the flaming cart, but tries to think quickly of how to distract the goblins away from it. Remembering their earlier swiftness with dispatching a dog, she quickly chants a spell that materializes a dog just a few feet away from where they are standing. With any luck, they'll abandon the cart and shift their focus.

Silvisia casts Summon Monster I, summoning a dog at around E5. I've seen different DMs rule controlling monster summons differently, so I'll leave it up to you. If she can command it from here, she tells it to attack the goblin at E4 with its bite.

Dog's Bite: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Crit? [roll2]
Crit Damage? [roll3]

[CannonGerbil]

Randalin took a moment to bask in her glory as the final goblin ends up as a smear across the cobblestones, but it was short lived as the screams and incessant goblin chanting around her tells her that these goblins were far from the only one in the town.

"How many goblins are we dealing with?" She asked, looking around for any sign of where the fighting was located. Her eyes spies the former log tossing champion, now dressed as a full guard, goes rushing off towards the south. "Come on, lets go!" She yells out towards the group as she runs off after him.

At the sight of the burning carriage, and more importantly the group of goblins surrounding it, she immediately makes a beeline for them, yelling out a battle cry as she tosses a spinning disk of sharpened metal at the closest goblin.

Randalin moves up 30 feet and throws a chakram at the closest goblin.

Attack roll: [roll0] due to range

Damage roll: [roll1]

[ngilop]

The goblins around the burning cart all look at the clanging chakram that Randalin threw skidding along the ground towards them. The one closest to the group hops excitedly as Silvisia's summoned dog forms halfway to them and squeeks more-so that yells in his battlecry and makes his way to the dog before realizing he is alone and stops. The war-chanter steps out behind the wagon and yells something [Goblin]"Longshanks and dogs.. kill them" then starts singing that awful song that was heard in the previous fight. The other goblins all grab burning pieces of wood before they abandon the burning cart and move toward the party, screaming like a bunch of maniacs and waving their burning clubs around. The dog is halfway to the burning cart (45 Feet) with his goblin being another 10 feet past the it (55 feet) with the goblins with burning clubs being just a bit past him (60 feet) while the war-chanter is now on your side of the cart (90 feet).


OOC: going to post distance in bold to better help you guys, I hope.

[Ceralune]

Silvisia winces as her somewhat hasty intervention has succeeded in directing the goblins away from the burning cart... and towards the party itself. Nevertheless, now that they're no longer able to push the cart, she pulls out a wand they found and wills it to work, aiming for the goblin that has yet to abandon its post on the cart.

The dog, in the meanwhile, snaps at the first goblin who rushes at it.

Dog's Bite: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Crit? [roll2]
Crit Damage? [roll3]

Silvisia tries to use a Wand of Flaming Sphere on the goblin still on the cart.

UMD: [roll4]
Damage: [roll5]

[CannonGerbil]

"Damnit." Randalin scowls as her chakram goes skidding across pavement, a scowl that deepens as the goblin chanter picks up the irritating goblin warchant that she has been hearing alot of lately. She shifts her grip on her longhammer as she rapidly closes on the nearest goblin, before swinging it in a sideways strike alongside a mighty "SHUT UP!".


Randalin charges 55 feet towards the closest goblin, giving her +2 to attack rolls but -2 to AC for one turn.

Attack roll: [roll0]
Damage roll [roll1]

[ngilop]

Silvisia manages to burn the warchanter severely causing her to drop. Randalin again makes short work of her intended target leaving not much other than a bloody stump rather a head. The remaining goblins with their firebrands grin and both swing at Randalin. The summoned dog attempt to take one of the goblins down but the bite, while damaging, is not enough to sway the goblin from it attacks. The bite of the dog however, manages to get that goblins attention and instead of ganging up on Randalin, it swings it flaming club at the dog. The other goblin jab it much like a spear towards Randalin's abdomen.

Goblin on dog
Att: [roll0] Dmg:[roll1]

Goblin on Randalin
Att: [roll2] Dmg:[roll3]

[Hamste]

Pyrom charges in to attack one of the goblins hoping to kill it as quickly as the other ones he had fought earlier.


[roll0] a larger bonus if the aura is active.

[roll1] damage